Zinedine Zidane, Mauricio Pochettino and Antonio Conte are possible contenders to be José Mourinho’s long-term successorMourinho sacked after United’s worst start in 28 yearsThe former France international is currently out of work after leaving Real Madrid last summer following the victory over Liverpool in the Champions League final. Remarkably, that was his third triumph in the competition in only two and a half years in charge. Is unlikely to join a club until next summer, which could suit United. Continue reading...

Manchester United fans outside Old Trafford reacted positively to the news of José Mourinho’s sacking on Tuesday, saying it would give the team a boost on the pitchJosé Mourinho sacked: Manchester United to appoint caretaker – live!José Mourinho sacked by Manchester United after worst start in 28 yearsManchester United fans on Mourinho: the ‘serial winner’ who had to go Continue reading...

The Ireland wing on his memorable try against New Zealand, his World Cup ambitions and talking to prisoners at Northern Ireland’s highest security prisonJacob Stockdale might be the deadliest finisher in European rugby but he reflects on his remarkable year with a light touch. The Ulster wing was the player of the tournament while setting a Six Nations record by scoring seven tries as Ireland sealed the grand slam. Stockdale also made the difference with the only try of the game when Ireland beat New Zealand last month to complete a year in which they could claim to be the best side in the world.Stockdale has already told me about going into jail with his father, the chaplain at Maghaberry prison in Belfast, so he could talk to inmates who have been locked up after committing violent crimes. He has also confirmed his love for Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan and proved himself an assured 22-year-old who is different to many of his contemporaries. It is striking that, before we discuss his try against the All Blacks, Stockdale has a laugh about himself as he remembers missing the first time Ireland beat New Zealand – in a momentous match in Chicago in November 2016. Continue reading...

• Dobromyslova beaten 3-0 by debutant Joyce• Raymond van Barneveld shocked by Darius LabanauskasAnastasia Dobromyslova followed Lisa Ashton out of the PDC world championship as she lost to the Alexandra Palace debutant Ryan Joyce, while Raymond van Barneveld went out to Darius Labanauskas in Monday’s big shock.Ashton and Dobromyslova were the two multiple British Darts Organisation women’s world champions to qualify this year and Ashton lost to Jan Dekker on the opening night of the Professional Darts Corporation event last Thursday. Continue reading...

Max Rushden, Barry Glendenning, Mark Langdon and Marcus Bean discuss the Champions League draw, dour management, Xherdan Shaqiri’s career revival, goalmouth scrambles and a message for listeners in TogoJoin the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and email.We look back at the weekend’s football action, starting with Liverpool’s 3-1 win over Manchester United, which has done something for the Anfield side’s title-challenging credentials, and nothing for José Mourinho’s job prospects. Continue reading...

Midfielder turned lawyer claims coach Kevin MacDonald left a ‘dark shadow’ over players at Villa and says it drove him to suicidal thoughts“It was a culture of verbal and physical bullying, but there were no checks and balances; he operated with impunity … It was like a dark shadow came over.”Gareth Farrelly, now 43 and a qualified lawyer, with a Premier League and international career behind him, is recalling the bullying he says he endured as a young player at Aston Villa in the 1990s from the coach Kevin MacDonald. It was a “relentlessly negative” regime under him. Continue reading...

Outside Old Trafford, fans reacted with an air of despondency to the inevitability of their manager’s sackingOn a wet and windy day outside Manchester United’s Old Trafford, an air of despondency met the news that José Mourinho had been sacked after the club’s worst start to a season in nearly 30 years. Most fans said they expected him to get the bullet but many expressed surprise at the timing.“He had to go. I think it was inevitable but not now,” said Neil Crawford, 72, out shopping at the club’s gargantuan megastore with his wife Liz, 77. “They may as well have waited until May as this season is more or less over for United.” Continue reading...

• Arsenal manager praises Pochettino’s work at Spurs• Arsenal play Spurs in Carabao Cup quarter-finals on WednesdayUnai Emery has questioned whether Mauricio Pochettino would want to leave Tottenham to join Manchester United next summer.The Arsenal manager, whose team play Spurs in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday night, is friends with Pochettino and claimed the Argentinian does not need to move. Continue reading...

Magistrate also fines Averof Panteli £500, saying his actions had ‘racial element’A Tottenham fan who threw a banana skin at the Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been handed a four-year football ban and fined after magistrates ruled there was a racial element to the incident.Averof Panteli admitted throwing the banana skin on the pitch after Aubameyang celebrated a goal but denied there was any racial motivation to the incident, with his lawyer claiming the 57-year-old picked it up because it was the closest thing to him. Continue reading...